Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Farm life can be pretty glamorous. You can check out photos on our blog ( http://bhorganics.blogspot.com ) of the irrigation pipe laying last Thursday. It was such a brilliant fall day. Four of us managed to lay 700 ft of pipe and fill in around the pipe in one day. It was so impressive and satisfying. And then to top of a victorious day, the entire B & H staff. (5 full timers and 2 volunteers), dined at Papillon. From "rags to riches". It was fantastic and Phillip gave us the royal treatment. What beautiful way to celebrate all the hard work of the season.
And then on Saturday I was able to take my first full day off in 4 months. I relished in the beautiful weather with my husband. I am so blessed. Farming is very hard work but the rewards are endless.
We still have 4 more weeks of the West Reading Farmer's market. I don't want it to end. I also don't want the season to end. We had a hard frost over the weekend and so we are going to officially say goodbye to our tomatoes. I have been babying those plants since March, that is a total of 7 months. WOW!
This coming Sunday at market is Halloween we are giving prizes to customers whom come dressed up to market.
Here is what we are bringing to market this week:

• baby pac choi
• carrots
• daikon
• mustard greens
• broccoli
• cabbage
• lettuce
• fennel
• salad mix
• broccoli raab
• radishes
• turnips
• arugula
• collards
• beets
• chard
• kale
• leeks
• butternut squash
• potatoes

And recipes for this week:
Our featured crop this week is Broccoli Raab: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/BroccoliRaab.htm
When we here of Broccoli Raab we think of a minature broccoli head with lots of greens. This is a selected and bred variety which originally came from the wild variety which has more leaves and tiny buds / broccoli heads. This is one of my favorite greens. It has a nice mustard flavor which can be used in a variety of dishes. As with any of the greens it is best when wilted not overcooked.
Broccoli Raab ideas:

• lasagna- this is so so good
• Lightly wilted and placed as a garnish with salmon topped with a light mushroom broth
• Sauteed with garlic and olive oil topped with parmesan cheese.

Any one have any recipes they would like to share? Please pass them along. I can use all I can get. I saving up to add a recipe section on to our website.

Thank you all and have a super week,
Erica

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,
Well we braved our first frosts and seemed to have come out alright. Frost means sweeter veggies such as: carrots, turnips, radishes, and dark leafy greens. You would be surprised at how sweet a turnip can be.
Our newest irrigation ditch was dug yesterday. We have a lot of work to do in running the pipes. The new irrigation line will service our newest field on top of the hill. So if next season you don't veggies behind the garden that it because we are going to be using a new field in order to create a better crop rotation. We are growing and putting in more infrastructure every year. It is very exciting.
At market this week we will have:

• potatoes
• carrots
• daikon radish
• mustard greens
• arugula
• spicy mix
• cabbage
• broccoli
• fennel
• pac choi
• radicchio
• peppers
• salad mix
• radishes
• turnips
• beets
• leeks
• kale
• collards
• chard
• garlic
• butternut squash

Recipes:
Fennel baked with Parmesan: for all those whom don't know the wonders of fennel this will expand your world.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Fennel-with-Parmesan/Detail.aspx

Fritatta: I like to make these with all sorts of combinations. Essentially a fritatta is a quiche without a crust. This week I made a Fennel Eggplant Fritatta.
1 bulb fennel (sliced thin), 1 red onion (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 medium sized eggplant (cubed). Saute all these ingredients until tender (about 10 minutes). Add 5 paste tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 bunch swiss chard (chopped). Saute until greens wilt.
In a roasting pan coated with olive oil place thin slices of zucchini for a crust. Top with saute mixture. With a whisk, beat 6 eggs and 1 cup plain yogurt, season with salt and pepper and pour over contents of roasting pan. Top with raw cheddar cheese and goat cheese. Bake at 375 until solid (about 45 minutes).

Baked Leeks: This recipe comes from a former roommate of mine whom is from Germany.
1# leeks cleaned sliced vertically, green tops removed.
2 tablespoon raw butter
1/2 cup stock
Bake leeks (at 475), with butter and stock until the leeks are soft.
Blend in a food processor until a paste is formed. Spread over crostinis. Enjoy!

There is an upcoming event I think you will all be interested in:
The class is being hosted by a friend and market customer. They will be using our produce. This is a great way to learn eat seasonally and love it.
Fall Favorites Cooking Class
QUICK & HEALTHY MEALS USING SEASONAL FOODS
Savory sweet potatoes, tender winter squash, robust dark leafy greens, hearty and energizing grains...is your mouth watering? If you love fresh, delicious fall foods but have trouble finding the time to prepare homecooked meals, then this class is for you!

Certified health and nutrition coach Ann Murphy leads this fun and informative cooking class on cooking the fresh foods of the season - the quick and easy way! You'll be amazed at how simple it can be to make delectable dinners, soups, and dessert with local fall foods. As a mother of three, Ann has spent years experimenting with recipes to make meals as easy and healthy as possible - not to mention flavorful for a variety of picky palettes! She is a dynamic and motivating teacher with loads of tips onmaking cooking more fun and less stressful, and on the far-reaching benefits of seasonal eating.

CLASS INCLUDES:

• generous sampling of over 5 recipes
• complete packet of recipes and instructions
  
• tips and resources
  

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 6:30-8:30
$50/ PERSON; $85 FOR TWO
REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

This weeks West Reading delivery will be:

• Rhubarb $2.00
• Carrots - red or orange $2.50
• daikon radish $2.00
• Mustard Greens $2.00
• Arugula - bunched $2.00
• Fennel $2.50
• Pac choi $2.00
• Peppers- mixed quart $2.00
• salad mix $4.50
• radishes - french breakfast or purple plum $2.00
• turnips- $2.00
• red beets- $2.50

Please have your orders in by Wednesday evening.
Thank you,
Erica

Dear Friends of B & H Organic Produce,

Fall is certainly upon us. Looking back I feel so blessed for how the season has progressed. I will be sad when the garden finally goes dormant (hopefully not till January). However, I will be looking forward to an even better 2011.

Only 2 more weeks of the Elverson Farmer's Market, and 7 weeks of the West Reading Farmer's Market. When the markets end we will still be picking. You will be able to find our produce in our store, Hartz Natural Foods, until the ground finally freezes. Hartz Natural Foods does sell organic produce year round and tries to source it as locally possible. And of course we will be selling to Papillon until we no longer have produce. Have you eaten at Papillon yet? If not, do so as soon as possible while the B & H Produce is plenty. http://www.papillononpenn.com/
Here is what we will be bringing to market this week:

• potatoes
• tomatoes
• eggplant
• garlic
• winter squash
• carrots
• mustard greens
• beets
• salad mix
• arugula
• dandelion
• baby pac choi
• lettuce
• peppers
• radish
• turnips
• spinach
• chard
• kale
• leeks
• daikon

Recipes for this week:
Radish Salad: Radishes are one of those vegetables in which many have aversions to. Radishes are great roasted as well as raw on a salad. When radishes are cooked they loose their heat. We grow salad radishes (small), daikon radishes (huge) and watermelon radishes (small daikons). Radishes are eaten as their own salads in Japanese cuisine. Here is a Japanese very simple radish salad:
1 bunch radishes, sliced or cut into matchsticks
2 tbspn rice or balsamic vinegar (or a combination of the 2)
1 tbspn soy sauce
1 tsp honey, maple syrup or agave nectar
2 teaspn sesame oil
2 cloves garlic chopped

Hakurei Turnips:
The turnips we grow are not your grandmother's turnips. At least not if you grew up in Berks County. We grow the Hakurei Turnip which is a Japanese salad turnip. They have the texture of a radish with a little less heat. You can use them any way you would traditionally use turnips. They have none of the bitterness of a traditional purple top white globe turnip.
My favorite way to eat them is sliced raw with a few drops of soy sauce. This is a great substitute for chips.
They also make wonderful Kim Chee.

Eggplant chips:
This is an experiment I tried this week. Simply slice eggplant and dip in an egg wash. Place on a cookie sheet, greased with olive oil, bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Flip and top with hemp seeds and Parmesan cheese bake until the cheese becomes crispy. This is a very less greasy form of eggplant parmesan. Great for sandwiches or over spaghetti squash.

This week's home deliveries to West Reading, please have your order in by Wednesday evening:

• mustard greens $2.00
• salad mix $4.50
• beets $3
• arugula bagged $4.50
• baby pac choi $2.00
• lettuce- romaine or butterhead $2
• peppers- mixed box $2,50
• daikon radish $2.00
• Hakurei Turnips $2.00
• Swiss chard $2.50
• collard greens $2.50
  

Thank you all again and have a super week,
Erica